Month: May 2009

Chris Isaak is the most dependable draw on the winery music circuit. Lyle Lovett likely ranks in at No. 2 on that list.

Having both of those acts in the lineup basically assured that the latest Sonoma Jazz + would do good business, and delight the big crowds, over Memorial Day weekend.

Still, Lovett and Isaak – who performed Saturday and Sunday, respectively – were only two of the many things that made this fifth annual festival special. The 12,400 music lovers that came out for the four-day event, which kicked off on Thursday, also got a chance to witness performances by dance-band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, bluesman Keb’ Mo’, classic rocker Joe Cocker, country star Shelby Lynne and reggae royal family member Ziggy Marley. Continue Reading →

The cleverly titled “NINJA Tour” is a lot like an episode of VH1’s “I Love the 90s” – only without all of the TV show’s marginally funny commentary.

Specifically, it’s a nostalgic rehash of the year 1991. That was the last time that “NIN” (Nine Inch Nails) and “JA” (Jane’s Addiction) toured together, during the inaugural outing of Lollapalooza.

That was an exciting time in music, as the whole alt-rock genre was just about to break big. Unfortunately, in these days of “American Idol,” 1991 seems – and sounds – like ancient history. Continue Reading →

We’re all still buzzing about the battle between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, but past “American Idol” stars have to make a living, too.

To that end, there’s news that Jordin Sparks will be performing in concert after an Oakland A’s game on June 6 — and the show is free with the price of the game ticket. Game time is 6:05 p.m. Pray it doesn’t go extra innings.

Sparks, of course, gained fame by beating Blake Lewis in the 2007 season. This will be her first solo performance in the Bay Area. She is scheduled to join the Jonas brothers for select dates of their 2009 World Tour, which kicks off June 20.

Fashion events tend to attract fashion models — both runway veterans and fresh new faces. Hold the event in the south of France and who can resist attending? Today’s images from the Cannes Film Festival and environs include Elizabeth Hurley,(photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Claudia Schiffer, Lily Cole and Natasha Poly among the beautiful people looking their best.

For shots of celebs much more interested in NBA hoops than international cinema check out the images of Tom Cruise and his son, Connor Cruise, Teri Hatcher, Leonardo DiCaprio and more. Find it all here.

Quick Bits are impressions of the downloadable title I’m playing at the moment. It’s a thumbnail sketch of what I think of a game.

One of the great things about video games is that they let you learn the ins and outs of a sport without the consequences of injuring others. I know little about boxing outside of watching it on television, but I don’t imagine myself getting beat up to learn the sport. The same goes for hockey. I’d like to keep all my teeth thank you very much.

And that bring me to TIger Woods PGA Tour for the iPhone. I don’t know much about golf, but I’m learning the concepts and not embarrassing myself on the links with this hand-held title.

Although you may think that EA Sports would strip down its offering for a hand-held device, it’s great that this golf cell phone game is surprisingly full-featured. This actually feels like PlayStation One game complete with announcers criticizing every bad swing and awful put.

Just got back from Los Angeles and my head is still thumping with the reverberations from both the KISS and Queen numbers that had the Nokia Theatre rocking on Wednesday night. Before we put “American Idol” to bed for another year, I just wanted to reflect on a few things:

– Seeing the finale live is a whole different experience and I encourage any diehard fan to make an attemtpt to do so at least once — although it’s incredibly difficult to get a ticket. I talked to a fan from Fresno who said she was on a waiting list for two years!

– What you don’t always pick up on the TV is the incredible energy flowing through the building. On that last Queen number (“We Are the Champions”), the Nokia crowd was on its feet, swaying its arms and singing along. It will be one of the great, vivid images that will stay with me — along with the long, tender embrace Kris Allen had with his wife after taking that confetti shower.

– How surprising was Allen’s win? I talked to a woman from L.A. who said her office staff, per tradition, launched an “Idol” pool at the beginning of the season. As it turned out, not one participant even had Kris in the TOP 5!

– Before the show began, I tried to glean a few clues on how the vote might go, but got mixed signals. Judging by T-shirt sales, it looked like Adam would be a clear winner. One vendor told me that Adam shirts sold out the first night and they had to rush to bring in more, which got sold out again. Meanwhile, Kris T-shirts were very plentiful. (Maybe Adam fans are just more passionate — or have more money). But once I got into the theatre, I got my first indication that Kris could win this thing. The warm-up act guy shouted out both singers’ names and the reaction to Kris was clearly more boisterous.

– The finale felt like a great big “Idol” reunion with many former contestants returning to mingle with the fans and media. Seeing them was both fun and sort of depressing. Clearly, many of them were desperate to get their faces back on the cameras and to promote their latest efforts (almost every one I talked to mentioned a forthcoming album). My editor, Ardura, and I were commenting on how odd it was that we passionately follow many of these contestants through a certain season and then they become almost instantly forgettable. Ardua is the most knowledgeable “Idol” fan I know and even she was having trouble attaching names to faces.

– During the finale, many of the performers leave the stage and drop by an interview room to chat with the press. Queen Latifah on Adam Lambert: “He knows who he is and he knows what he wants. And he’s not afraid to give you all of that … He’s a great showman.” … Jason Mraz on Kris Allen: “I hadn’t been following the show all that closely, but my mom filled me in on things. She said ‘They’ve got this guy who’s a little Jason Mraz-y. An you knoiw I have to back anyone who is Jason Mraz-y.”

– My crush on Carly Smithson hasn’t diminished. The Irish rocker from last season chatted with me for a few moments in the theatre lobby Tuesday night. The main topic? A new album, of course. She said she just finished it and it’s loaded with big, rocking, “wall of sound” type numbers. She said many of them were difficult to sing, but she likes it that way. “If they’re too easy, I get bored,” she claimed. Let’s hope she has a hit mixed in there.

– After the finale on Wednesday, many of the performers and “Idols” could be seen filing into the Conga Room for a private party. Alas, we weren’t invited.

It’s taken a while but I’ve finally finished the Dragon Age: Origins novel — The Stolen Throne. Written by the game’s lead writer David Gaider, the book is a decent read at 400 pages. It takes a while to get into, drags in the middle but finishes nicely at the end. It’s a good lead-in for those wanting to know some back story for the the game and you find out why Dragon Age: Origins is called Dragon Age: Origins.

While I was reading The Stolen Throne, I tried to picture the story as different gameplay scenarios, and if the novel is anything like the game, then spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate will have a couple of things Gaider mentioned in the book. Here are the top five most notable items I gleaned from reading.

1) There’s probably a bard/spy class in Dragon Age: Origins. A pivotal character, an elf named Katriel, has that role and uses daggers and poison in her fighting arsenal. The bards apparently also know a lot about the lore of the game. They seem to be able to identify ancient places, relics and groups you come across. They sound like they could be helpful.

2) Dwarves are loathe to enter the human world and prefer staying underground. (They’re afraid of falling into the sky.) They also have a stone sense ability that lets them get around their tunnels and have a natural resistance to magic. The dwarf capital city is Orzammar.

3) The mages and priests have an almost warden-prisoner relationship. There are different mage circles scattered throughout the world and some are under the auspices of the Chantry, an order of priests and priestess.

The Chantry is the organization that keeps the mages in check. As far as religion goes, the priests believe in “The Maker.” Funny side note: Mages can summon golems and are usually at the service of nobles. They act almost like a consigliere.

4) Politically, the world is split into Orlesian empire and everyone else. The nation of Orlais have conquered Ferelden, and it’s up to Prince Maric to reclaim the throne. That’s pretty much the thrust of the novel. Orlais, if you can tell by the name, seems to have a French influence. They seem to be the epitome of civilization while the Ferelden culture is more rustic and spartan.

5) It sounds like the uber-weapon will be something like a rune covered dragonbone sword. Prince Maric fortuitously picks one up during his travel down the Deep Roads, the dwarves underground tunnel system. The dragonbone sword is lightweight and apparently has an affinity for runes and enchantments.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, Carrie Fisher honed her solo tour-de-farce “Wishful Drinking” at Berkeley Rep before taking it on tour around the country. Now everybody’s fave princess is headed back to Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre on her last stop before the comedy warps onto Broadway. Directed by Tony Taccone, this very limited run – 15 performances – starts July 9 and goes through July 23. So if you live for classic scifi ’70s kitsch (even as I do), may the force be with you. Otherwise, you might sooner kiss a Wookie!

It’s a safe bet that no one among the 2,800 fans in attendance at the Decemberists’ sold-out show at the Fox Theatre in Oakland ever considered skipping the concert in favor of staying home to watch the “American Idol” finale.

That has nothing to do with the powers of TiVo. It’s because the Decemberists have always appealed to a wildly left-of-mainstream demographic. That remains true today, despite all the predictions that the Oregon band’s latest CD, “The Hazards of Love,” would be this year’s cross-over commercial success. Continue Reading →